Yume no Tsubasa
by darkwings09
Summary: [Oneshot][RyoSaku] Will you ever, ever, find yourself caught between your nostalgic past and your destined present? Sakuno suddenly went through the trance.


**Yume no Tsubasa**

**By darkwings09**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not, and will never, own Tennis no Oujisama or any of its characters. If I did, Ryoma and Sakuno would be a couple by now, Fuji Syuusuke would be more sadistic than ever, and there would be more of KiriAn interaction! Sound's horrible, ne? **

**Author's twaddle chatters before proceeding:**

**After all that AtoSaku and even YuushiSaku stuffs, I'm still sticking with the RyoSaku pairing! I'm aiming for another AtoSaku fluff, though… Demo, RyoSaku! **

**This contains OC (and perhaps…the characters are kinda OOC. I don't know…Fufufufu), you've been warned. That's all I can say, for now.**

**Anyways, on with the story! Oh, and please send me some reviews; they always make my day! Fufufufu…**

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'The blinding radiance…' 

_A pair of auburn eyes traced the whereabouts of the flock of white pigeons in front of her. No, this is, without doubt, a dream…this can't be reality; can it? Sakuno stared at the flock, utterly awestruck of the sight. It was as if destiny's playing mind tricks on you, and sometimes you wished to stop it then and there. However this time, not even a single syllable came out from her mouth, as if she's completely tongue-tied._

_She's somewhere like…in a recreational area. Yet, not even children nor adults can be found here. This place is almost empty, save for the animals that freely moved around by and large. What she had concluded clarifies the fact that a rather huge flock of birds is in front of her. _

_Her eyes faltered a bit because the environment isn't right at all. Too clean and too…well…radiant? Yes, it's hard to admit, though. The whole place is spotless, and this Flora and Fauna is somewhat…new to her. Her eyes needed to adjust at her new environment lately._

_In the brink of her train of such thoughts, a quite familiar voice called her._

"_Oi…"_

_Her head jerked instinctively to the direction of the voice, causing her braids to move somewhat fiercely behind her. Why is it recognizable? She had searched everywhere, but found not even a single silhouette of a person. Still, as persistent as she really is, she tried to find the owner of it. _

_She then cautiously approached the flock of pigeons, causing them to be strictly alert. Automatically, when she took another step closer, each of them stretched their wings, slightly folding the tips of it at the same time, and then flew away from her. She felt as if she was literally rooted on the ground, watching the great flock fly and glide past her. _

_Amidst the flock of birds, she finally caught a glimpse of what she had desired to see: an outline of a person. Sure, deep inside she is relieved to find someone else in this world of pure hallucination, but the question is…who is this 'person'? Wait- it's a male. _

_His left hand was tucked coolly inside his pockets, while his right griped a red tennis racket that was currently placed above his shoulder. The corners of his lips were tugged to a familiar smirk. And those untamed golden orbs of his straightly gazing at her auburn ones. _

_Her eyes grew wide akin to the size of grapes as she finally identified the person in front of her. With unexplainable happiness and joy, a single tear made its solitary way down to her flushed cheek. _

_Echizen Ryoma._

_It has been approximately three years since he went abroad for the U.S. Open Tournament. Since then, she never heard a single thing about him. She even tried to get rid of the fact that she had loved him profoundly, and will continue to do so despite their obvious distances. And occasionally in her mind will occur the thought of him on no account, returning once again to Seishun Gakuen. But sometimes, it was never that easy to get rid of something you treasured and cherished. _

_Especially…of that true feeling they called 'love'._

"_R-Ryoma-kun…?" she murmured as she grasped in utter disbelief. That's right, not one person thought of him coming back here in Japan, even Seigaku's former data man assumed that there would only be a thirty percent chance that he will. Yet, here he is, standing right in front of her._

"…"

_With that, his image quickly faded amidst the thick mist. No- not just him, but the squeaky clean surroundings as well. It disappeared like vaporized water in the air, leaving only her to gasp at the sudden change of scene._

_Is he really…Echizen Ryoma?_

She woke up, feeling exhausted as if she had finished swimming ten laps in the swimming pool. Her breathing was oddly somewhat uneven, and her heartbeat is becoming gradually faster in every second that passes. Why, exactly, is she feeling this way? Just because she had dreamt of the renowned Echizen Ryoma doesn't mean she will act like _crazy. _Faintly panting, she heaved out a sigh.

Her head yanked at her alarm clock on top of her drawer. It read:_ 12:15 am._

She clutched on her soft blanket tightly whilst glancing outside through her bedroom window. Everything is completely well clad and illuminated with darkness and the oblivion, save for the small lights and stuffs coming from the neighborhood. The darkness once again spread its wings and took flight across the magnificently gloomy skies.

Every now and then, the thought of her room as her only safe haven and seeing Ryoma is invading her mind. No- not just invading, it's already plundering her apparently empty mind. She heaved out a heavy sigh as she tore her glance from her bedroom window to the tennis ball placed just beside her shoulder bag.

The neon green tennis ball reminded her of her freshman years. She wondered why on earth is that ball still in the region of her bedroom, but she didn't mind it at all, nonetheless. That thing with a doodle of Echizen Ryoma's chibi face… Is he that significant?

She slowly rested her head on the cushion and squeezed her eyes to a shut. The question earlier remained unanswered and unspoken… and should continue to be so. It shouldn't be a hindrance, after all. The lone thing she had wanted this time is to cease all that nostalgic thoughts of the very person she had loved and cared for about three years back.

She had let the devious night take her back to her dreams now as she slept. Yet, the depths of her soul lurked behind the shadows of her own restless realms, still unrequited and was yet to be tapped, and was hoping against fate to find the place where it can take wing, where it can have that longed-for freedom once again. The moment of truth will certainly come…

…Tomorrow, maybe…?

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Sakuno was on the point of returning back to her classroom when-

"KYAAAAHHHHHH! Sakuno! News flash! News flash!" Tomoka bellowed excitedly as she pounced at her poor best friend suddenly out of the blue and shook her like mad. In fact, what she's going to say is something you don't come across _everyday._ Her eyes sparkled with what seems to be enthusiasm and maybe even something even more.

"T-Tomo-chan…" Sakuno sweat dropped as she tried hard to restrain her hyper companion. Yet, no matter how many times she tries, she just couldn't.

"Sakuno, haven't you read the latest Tennis Pro Magazine issue?! Ryoma-sama's back! Ryoma-sama's back here in Japan! Aren't you happy, ne, ne, Sakuno!?" Tomoka barely contained her thrill as she continued to pant and shook her friend like wild. Nevertheless, she said those phrases repeatedly for Sakuno to swallow those words of hers. She doesn't care if there are other senior students staring straight at them, nor when people started giving warning glares at them to shut her trap.

'…_Ryoma-sama's back! Ryoma-sama's back here in Japan!'…_

Those words sank in her mind within that very minute. Sakuno felt a pang on her chest; her auburn eyes grew wide upon the news. Why is it too complicated to accept those phrases? Is it because she can barely believe the news? No, that can't be. If this really is a _dream, _then she wished to wake up.

'…_Ryoma-sama's back here in Japan!'…_

The words slowly faded in her mind as she heaved out a sigh. On the other side, maybe it's plainly a rumor, based upon her opinion.

'…_Back here in Japan!'…_

"Ne, Sakuno, aren't you happy? Daijobouka? What's wrong?" Tomoka pouted as she noticed that troubled look plastered on her best friend's face. It's been almost… what? About three years time, yes, almost three years since the prince had gone abroad for other tennis tournaments to participate and correlated stuffs to think about. Ever since then, Sakuno is, to some extent, behaving rather oddly. But since not many notices it, only she tried to soothe her.

"Mou…I'm spacing out again…I-I'm glad to hear that…" Sakuno forced a smile as she smacked her forehead. Still, she continued asking, "…Ano…since when…?"

"I dunno…I just got only the fragment of the information from Inui-senpai…" Tomoka replied as she put that questioning expression plastered on her face, "…Ah! Your obaa-san didn't tell you the news, did she? That explains why!"

Sakuno shook her head as a slight frown replaced her forced smile. Her obaa-san never told her even anything about Ryoma. Never ever, since he left. On the other hand, she was somewhat thankful, though. If she did hear news about him, soon enough, she'll get upset all over again.

"What the- Sakuno, I would like to stay longer but it's already time to go back to class! Ja, see ya later!" Tomoka bid her goodbye as both of them quickened their pace back to their respective classrooms.

Sakuno heaved out another sigh as she slumped back to her seat and grabbed her bag, searching for her Chemistry book. She could almost hear the murmurs of her fellow students, and could feel their eyes glued on her figure. Why can't they just mind their own businesses and leave the other's?

"Heard that? Take a closer look at that inept girl, as if she really IS close to Ryoma-sama" Rin told her companions as she watched the girl in front of her flinch in her seat and stopped flipping the pages of her Chemistry book. The corners of her lips tugged to a sly grin.

"I bet she couldn't barely control her excitement…She can _flirt _once again with Ryoma-sama, I kid you not" Hikari, who sat on the chair just beside Rin, started joining their 'conversation'. Ever since they were freshmen, they already became aware of Sakuno's connection to Echizen Ryoma. And it was quite irritating, especially if you're a member of the Echizen Ryoma's fans club.

'_Flirt? How can I flirt with him? I'm NOT a flirt' _The voice within Sakuno's conscience once again materialized. Just because she tried to befriend Ryoma years back doesn't mean that she is a _flirt_. Still, she chose to shun the way they treated her, albeit in a rather quiet method, that is.

Rin and her companions scornfully laughed.

"I beg your pardon…?" Sakuno mumbled to herself as she let those words slipped right through her mouth, her bangs almost hiding her eyes. Unfortunately for her, Rin heard every sole syllable, and she won't let that insult slide through her hands that easily. No one can probably deal with her.

Oh yes, not even little Sakuno Ryuuzaki.

All is too sudden, that's Sakuno's hypothesis. Everything's coming and going, and it's also slipping right through her very hands. As she continued 'evading' those rumblings and senseless hearsay of theirs, she analyzed the given Chemistry problem at in her book.

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The early sun was setting in the horizon when a pair of golden eyes glazed indifferently at the metal label in front of him. It's kinda hard to acknowledge that he did miss this foundation, miss the former Seigaku regulars and the tennis club during his time, and miss every single thing of the school. He then tugged the edge of his cap down to his eyes.

_Seishun Gakuen…Long time, no see, ne?_

With a smirk plastered over his features, he composedly tucked his right hand in his pocket and used his left one to carry his tennis bag. He subsequently strolled beyond Seigaku's front gate, and freely wandered and roamed here and there.

Until, he spotted a familiar outline of a person along with an unidentified one.

"Backstabbing me now, are we?" Rin grinned as she twirled and played with the locks of her pinkish hair. She waited impatiently for an answer from the girl in front of her.

"Ano…Rin-san… What happened…? I'm going now…please," Sakuno pleaded like an underprivileged girl as she tried to go past the bigger girl. Yet, she just couldn't, since Rin will never let her go pass through, in any costs.

"Oh, nothing a truckload of chamomile tea can't fix, you insolent fool," Rin offended her more as she watched her fellow schoolgirl stare wide-eyed with mixed sadness and slight frenzy at her, "…Hell, if Ryoma-sama's here right now, I expect you to ask for his help concerning your little argument with me, ne?"

Ryoma found himself dumbfounded and annoyed as those words sank in his supposedly empty mind. To hell with those two, anyway, he'll merely pretend that he hadn't heard a single word, and more importantly, to keep his mouth shut. Yet, something's urging him to come for her aid. No- _Ryuuzaki's_ aid, that is. He calmly pulled his tennis racket out of the bag and took the neon green tennis ball out of his pocket.

Sakuno gasped at the person just a few meters away from where Rin stood as she felt her legs began to wobble a bit. She felt as if everything practically stood in a standstill, even time itself.

Rin reluctantly trailed the direction of Sakuno's eyes as she turned around and gaped in shock.

One hit…

-_POK-_

As the thud echoed within one's ear range, it launches directly at her as she prepared to evade the attack. She flung her arms in front of her in vain, hoping to defend herself from the impact.

But the ball deliberately missed her and simply passed through her hair, as what Ryoma had in mind.

"R-Ryoma-sama…" she stuttered in disbelief. Why the hell is he doing this, anyway? With mixed emotions and feelings, she stood up warily and sent one final death glare at Sakuno. Heaving out a grunt, she fled away from them.

Sakuno shuddered at the moment he tore his glance away from Rin to her image. As her auburn orbs met his golden ones, her protective walls surrounding her whole entity and even her soul started to crumble into pieces, if not to exaggerate it. And she thought that she had gone over with her puppy love issue, but she thought wrong…terribly wrong.

"R-Ryoma-kun…" she murmured with skepticism. She inched forward and raised her hand to touch his cheek, still lost in her daze, but suddenly realized what she is about to do. She abruptly stopped and was about to withdraw her hand but was caught by his firm ones.

She turned bright red like an apple or something… and continued to gaze at his blazing eyes. In return, a smirk tugged the corners of his lips. Her eyes watered in anticipation, and she fell on his chest subconsciously. She clutched on his shirt, never wanting to let go that very minute. In response, he wrapped his arms around her petite body and placed his chin on top of her head, a genuine little smile appearing on his features.

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"Hoi, o'chibi! How's life, ne?" Kikumaru called his kouhai's attention as he swiftly grabbed the remaining piece of sushi in the plate. Momo groaned in exasperation, earning a grin from his Eiji-senpai.

The former Seigaku regulars planned a welcome back party for their youngest rookie at Kawamura's Sushi restaurant. Since it was eat-all-you-can, well, they still have to fight for bits of food.

"Rather stupid if you ask me" he said as he sent a death glare at his senpai. Ryoma twitched in annoyance, shoving a piece of sushi into his mouth. As Momo tried to lunge on Eiji, the front door of the shop burst open, revealing two entities.

"Oh, am I too late? I hreally hope I'm not" Sumire snickered as her granddaughter caught up with her, earning a gasp from the other regulars. She laughed, making the others sweat dropped. Momo and Eiji stared at Sakuno with that wily grin plastered on their faces. Ryoma pulled the edge of his cap lower to his eyes with a quite uninterested expression on his face.

"Ah…Iie. Come in" Kawamura welcomed them as he pointed at the two empty seats just behind Ryoma. Sumire entered as Sakuno trailed after her as a sigh escaped from her lips. Heck, she was only forced to come. Besides, this is an all-male party, what more can she expect?

The rest of the afternoon was spent laughing and chatting, eating and talking. Every one of them appears to be happy enough, though, even their stoic Tezuka-buchou. But, secretly, none is happier more than their former coach herself.

By nightfall, whereas the night is still young, they decided to end their little get-together. They would surely treasure and cherish the night, concluded through the smiles still plastered on their faces.

"Ne, o'chibi, coach left for more important matters…" Kikumaru reminded his kouhai as he placed both of his hands at the back of his head. Momo tried to refrain from breaking out a laugh, as he held his stomach.

"…Dakara?" Ryoma replied as he laid the Ponta from his hand to the table. He has that creepy hunch that his senpai-tachi might plan something he is against. Or possibly, not.

"Dakara? Man, Echizen. You really don't understand, do you? Look, her obaa-chan left. Left her GRANDDAUGHTER alone. You still don't understand? Well, it's already nighttime, Echizen. A girl, more importantly like her, is at risk. You just can't stand there and do nothing, you just can't…" Momo explained as he shook his head in great irritation on how Echizen looks dumb on situations like this. On the other side, he was sure that he emphasized the word 'granddaughter'.

"…Risk, o'chibi, risk. What if she was kidnapped along the way? You should accompany her home, o'chibi," Kikumaru further explained with a furtive grin plastered on his face, earning a glare from Ryoma. Both of his senpai-tachi laughed.

Sakuno stared at the pair of her senapi-tachi surrounding Ryoma and sighed. What had happened the day before must be merely one of her fantasies. Still, the feeling of her body locked securely in his arms and his chin placed lightly on top of her head seems so real that she can feel butterflies and such in her stomach.

"O'CHIBI!" Kikumaru scolded his kouhai and pushed him near the twin-braided girl, "For once, can't you follow your senpai's orders?"

_Ever since I got here in Seigaku, I have always followed your orders._ Ryoma thought as he sent mental daggers towards his senpai. Kikumaru stuck his tongue out and grimaced.

"Maa. Happy dating, Echizen" Fuji interrupted the mental war and smiled sarcastically. Ryoma already felt shivers down to his spine. Sakuno blushed ten beets of red as she glanced at each senpai's sadistic expressions.

"Ano…I'm fine alone. And, D-Domou!" she stammered as she wore her sapphire sweater and took her shoulder bag draped around the seat. The others plainly stared at her slowly retreating figure and then to Ryoma, who grabbed his Ponta from Momo with much infuriation.

"Echizen! Run after her, baka!" Momo insisted, giving Ryoma another push towards the front door. Kikumaru and Fuji nodded in agreement.

"Che" he replied, his voice sharp and unerring.

"Echizen, it's already seven in the evening. You should go after her" Fuji added as a frown replaced the usual ironic smile. Ryoma sent one final death glare to all of them and he, too, slowly exited the shop.

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Her auburn eyes gazed at the enthralling clear lake in front of her. The said pool of water reflected the moonlight, as it was enchantingly beautiful beyond words. She watched on how the tiny ripples of water blend with the environment.

_I'm not really stupid_, Sakuno thought to herself as she gradually stopped her pace, _but what was I thinking back then? Nothing more can be expected, not from him._

"Oi"

She ceased her steps as her eyes grew wide. She hesitantly turned around and a crimson red blush crept to swathe her features. Great, at this time of the night, she encountered the very person that kept her lost in her train of thoughts. Just great.

Geez, her bad. She felt as if she was literally rooted on the ground. He was inching forward, just in front of her, with merely two meters apart. Not good, she just can't move.

"R-Ryoma-kun…" she stuttered in embarrassment, earning a sly smirk from Ryoma. Why, it's been almost three years since they met. Three years. He didn't even know how much it affected her, how much it penetrates her heart like a double-edged blade. More importantly, he didn't care at all. But that's only her opinion; perhaps the best way to know is to understand him, in more ways than one.

She froze when he was standing only one foot away from her. His golden eyes were filled with uncertainty, but were gazing directly at her auburn ones. She gulped a bit as their eyes locked.

She snapped out of her trance and looked down at her feet. A tear soon made its way down to her cheek, as bright as crystal and as clear as water. Her bangs covered her eyes, hiding the look on her face. His eyes were intimidating, with that nonchalance still materializing.

When he left for abroad, he knew he would miss each and everything he had put down. Still, every time he held the neon green tennis ball up and face the sun's glaring rays, an image of a girl with freakishly long braids and auburn eyes would always register in his mind.

Even his oyaji reminded him of her every time he goes out to practice tennis, the ball she had given him in hand. And, he would tease him of there are other things existing besides tennis, that are really meant for him. He never understood what that meant, and was clueless of what he had gotten himself to.

Now, he thought of otherwise, with her figure in front of him.

With a furtive smirk tugging his lips he touched her chin and slightly raised it, much to her disclosure. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, and she ceased crying. These feelings are overwhelming her, and her eyes squeezed to close. She could feel his mouth touching hers.

He bit her lower lip, licked it, asking for entrance. Her lips, if he is hallucinating right now or not, were lusciously tempting. He couldn't really control his raging hormones, and placed the blame of his inheritance of them to his pervert oyaji. Still, he couldn't care less. She obliged afterwards, and gave him what he's asking for. He devoured the innards of her mouth, and with pleasure, she warily gave him more authority and access.

"Mada Mada Dane"

"Mou…Ryoma-kun!"

The rest of the night turned out to be an unpredicted one as he escorted her home.

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OWARI 

**Konnichiwa, minna-san! **

**R & R please! Domou!**

**Darkwings09**


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